REVIEW: Tap Factory, Kings Theatre, Southsea

Beth Evans

Having done a little tap dancing myself, I think I could still find my way around a traditional ‘time step’ should the need arise. However, in ‘Tap Factory’ with their ‘Stomp’-like rhythms, incredible inventiveness and gravity defying stunts; Fred and Ginger this certainly isn’t.

Mixing percussive breakdance, Capoeira, and aerial acrobatics with macho tap dancing, this was dance fusion at it’s very best.

Vincent Pausanias - along with collaborators Gilles Guenat (World Tap Champion) and Jérémie Champagne (‘So You Think You Can Dance’ finalist, France) - has created a unique and utterly exhilarating dance spectacular.

Not only does each performer showcase different styles of dance, something which is used to great effect throughout the show, but they are also all exceptional drummers; taking to the big steel drums to perform impressive ensemble percussion breakdowns in between (and during) the dance numbers.

Jérémie Champagne stole the show as the cheeky, supposedly inept mimic when it was abundantly apparent that he was in fact one of the most versatile, comedic and inspired performers of the bunch and that’s saying something.